City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JULY 19, 2022 FROM: PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: RFP 2030 – PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH CAROLLO ENGINEERS, INC. OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA FOR THE 2022 NON-POTABLE AND RECYCLED WATER MASTER PLAN IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $239,212 FOR SERVICES THROUGH JUNE 30, 2023 ISSUES:
Approve a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with Carollo Engineers, Inc., of Riverside, California from RFP No. 2030 for the 2022 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan in an amount not to exceed $239,212 for services through June 30, 2023.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with Carollo Engineers, Inc., of Riverside, California from RFP No. 2030 for the 2022 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan in an amount not to exceed $239,212 for services through June 30, 2023; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute any documents necessary to effectuate the project described herein, as well as make minor non-substantive changes in alignment with all purchasing policies.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
On Monday June 13, 2022, the Board of Public Utilities voted to approve the capital expenditure for Work Order No. 2115050 in the amount of $300,000 which includes all costs for the preparation of the 2022 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan, and recommend City Council approval of a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with Carollo Engineers, Inc., in the amount of $239,212, with Vice Chair Goldware and Members Cherney, Gujral, Heru, Melendez, Oceguera, and Wohlgemuth voting aye and Member Montgomery voting nay. Board Chair Crohn was absent.
BACKGROUND:
The Importance of Recycled Water
Recycled water is a local, drought-proof resource that offers near- and long-term benefits in diversifying water supplies and offsetting the use of potable water. Tertiary treated recycled water is produced by the City of Riverside Public Works Department’s Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) and most of it is required by the 1969 Orange County Judgment to be discharged into the Santa Ana River. A small portion of the remaining water is currently distributed through the City of Riverside Public Utilities’ (RPU)’s existing recycled water system for irrigation use. Currently, recycled water use accounts for less than 0.2% of RPU’s total water supply portfolio. The City’s existing recycled water system includes recycled water distribution pipelines in Jurupa Avenue, Van Buren Boulevard, and pipelines within Jackson Street, Magnolia Avenue, and Monroe Street, north of Lincoln Avenue.
RPU needs to reconceptualize and comprehensively evaluate the potential opportunities for expanding the use of its recycled water resources in addition to non-potable sources of water, such as recycled water and non-potable groundwater to augment the City’s water supply portfolio and support the environment. Completion of a non-potable and recycled water master plan will establish direction for future non-potable and recycled water infrastructure development for both the near- and long-term planning horizons. While some of the past recycled water planning studies have been performed by staff, RPU is seeking a comprehensive evaluation of its non-potable and recycled water resources and plans to expand the opportunities beyond what has already been studied. The independent consultant to prepare the 2022 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan will be responsible to do that.
DISCUSSION:
RFP No. 2030 Solicitation and Proposal Evaluation Process On October 5, 2020, Request for Proposal No. 2030 (RFP) was solicited by the City’s Purchasing Division to all interested consultants for professional consultant services for the 2021 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan. Proposals were received from the following three firms: Carollo Engineers, Inc., Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., and Kennedy Jenks Consultants, Inc. Staff evaluated the proposals and ranked Carollo Engineers, Inc. as the most qualified consultant based on the criteria outlined in the RFP.
The base fee submitted by Carollo Engineers, Inc., which did not include any optional tasks, was below the Engineer’s Estimate of $300,000 for the base scope of work.
A summary of the proposal evaluations is shown in the table below:
Consultant
Weighted Score Evaluations
Approach & Methodology (30%)
Experience (20%)
Professional References (5%)
Qualifications (20%)
Cost – Base Fee
(25%)
Total Score
Rank
Carollo Engineers, Inc.
Riverside, CA
270
185
41 188
250
$275,842
933
1 Kennedy Jenks Consultants Inc.
Pasadena, CA
281
190
47 185
198
$348,075
901
2 Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.
Huntington Beach, CA
248
160
39 173
191
$359,600
810
3 Engineer's Estimate: $300,000 (base scope of work)
Scores as shown have been rounded
Upon identifying Carollo Engineers, Inc. as the highest ranked consultant, staff worked with the City’s Purchasing Division to negotiate a total not-to-exceed fee of $378,312 with Carollo Engineers, Inc., which included the base scope of work in addition to five optional tasks.
In early 2021, staff was directed to put the RFP on hold. In January 2022, staff was directed to resume the effort to update the Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan, and staff reduced the budget and scope for a revised Engineer’s Estimate of $250,000. Subsequently, staff negotiated with Carollo Engineers, Inc. the deletion of two of the base tasks, and two optional tasks, along with a reduction in scope of five other tasks, resulting in a total negotiated fee of $239,212; the negotiated total consultant fee is attached to the Professional Consultant Services Agreement, as Exhibit B. Staff asked the Consultant if they would voluntarily hold the expired pricing through the completion date of mid-2023, and the Consultant confirmed in writing that they would hold the price for this period. Additionally, the project title year was changed from 2021 to 2022 to reflect the anticipated study year, hence the modified title, 2022 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan.
The project/fiscal breakdown is as follows:
Work Type
Performed By:
Amount
2022 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan
Carollo Engineers, Inc.
$239,212
Public Outreach
City Staff
$60,000
WO #2115050 Total (rounded):
$300,000
Reimbursements
None
Anticipated Start Date:
July 2022
Anticipated Duration:
12 Months
Base Scope of Work
The Scope of Work presented in the RFP was broken down into eleven tasks to be completed by the consultant. These eleven tasks comprised the base scope of work and represent the minimum level of effort needed to satisfactorily update RPU’s Water Recycling Master Plan. These tasks include the following items listed below. Due to the amount of time that has elapsed since the advertisement of the original RFP, some minor adjustments to the task items have been made and are noted in parentheses.
Data Collection and Review of RPU’s past planning documents and system information; Non-Potable and Recycled Water Supply Assessment to identify potential non-potable and recycled water users (including environmental uses); Characterization of Non-Potable and Recycled Water Quality to assess current and future water quality (this task was deleted from the scope and opted to be completed in-house); Demand and Market Assessment to also include a market analysis of recycled/non-potable water users (including environmental uses); Infrastructure Design Criteria to establish the criteria to be utilized as the basis for planning RPU’s proposed non-potable and recycled water infrastructure; Hydraulic Model Development to create a computer model of RPU’s proposed non-potable and recycled water system to evaluate the consultant’s proposed near-term and long-term capital infrastructure (a portion of this task will be completed in house); Alternatives Development which includes the development of three distinctly different alternatives that will cost-effectively serve the maximum amount of non-potable/recycled water customers (a portion of this task will be completed in-house and reduced the scope of work); Development of a CIP Implementation Plan and Phasing which will outline the budgeting requirements to build the facilities identified in the selected non-potable recycled water alternative; Support for Cost-of-Service Analysis to prepare support materials for a Cost-of-Service Analysis for the non-potable recycled water system (this task was deleted from the scope of work; to be completed as part of the forthcoming Cost of Services Analysis); Project Management efforts on the consultant’s side, including meeting coordination and quality assurance and quality control of their deliverables; and Preparation of the Master Plan Report to summarize and document the study and all work tasks.
Optional Tasks
The following additional optional tasks were included in Carollo’s proposal and, except for Task 3, allow for different options for the Master Plan to branch out and explore in further depth other non-potable water resources and uses. The tasks below can be added to or removed from the base scope based on feedback received on RPU’s recycled and non-potable water program; RPU staff’s comments are noted in parentheses:
RPU Customer Outreach Campaign to assist RPU with public outreach and workshops to receive public input on future non-potable and recycled water projects in the City (this task was deleted from the scope and opted to be completed in house); Rapid Infiltration and Extraction (RIX) Facility Wastewater Study which includes engineering support in assessing the feasibility of utilizing this wastewater resource for the Camp Evans Wilderness Area; Knowledge Transfer Workshop to present a summary of the findings, outcomes and lessons learned from the master plan study to City staff; Review of Hydraulics and Design Criteria for the RHPWP (Riverside Habitat Parks and Water Project) Planning Report which includes engineering support to review and develop design criteria to be incorporated into the RHPWP planning report; and City Focused Workshops with Public Works Department’s Sewer Division in which the consultant will coordinate two workshops between RPU and Public Works to examine potential near- and long-term supply and cost-sharing opportunities (this task was deleted from the scope and opted to be completed in-house).
The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended actions are compliant with Purchasing Resolution No. 23812.
Master Plan Benefits
The updated master plan will provide RPU with the direction and guidance to select the best path forward in the City’s use and implementation of its non-potable and recycled water resources to meet the near-term and long-term objectives set forth by both City Council and the RPU Board.
More specifically, the master plan will allow RPU to develop additional water resources that are currently under-utilized or overlooked to expand its water supply portfolio. These additional water resources will allow RPU to meet the water needs of the future which include support for locally grown agriculture; environmental water needs to protect wildlife species and habitats; drought-proofed facilities for education, recreation, and commerce; and overall utility-wide improvements in water use efficiencies which will help RPU meet State mandated water use targets as part of the state’s new conservation framework.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This item contributes to Strategic Priority No. 4 – Environmental Stewardship and Goal 4.2 - Sustainably manage local water resources to maximize reliability and advance water reuse to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable water to our community; and Strategic Priority No. 5 – High Performing Government and Goal 5.5 - Foster a culture of safety, well-being, resilience, and sustainability across the city organization; and Strategic Priority No. 6 – Infrastructure, Mobility & Connectivity and Goal 6.2 - Maintain, protect and improve assets and infrastructure within the City’s built environment to ensure and enhance reliability, resiliency, sustainability, and facilitate connectivity, along with Goal 6.3 - Identify and pursue new and unique funding opportunities to develop, operate, maintain, and renew infrastructure and programs that meet the community’s needs.
This item aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – Discussion of completing a Master Plan and requesting input for the completion of optional tasks, allows for feedback to be received as to what level of planning will effectively promote the implementation of recycled water for the City’s needs.
Equity – Planning for the use of recycled water will ultimately help keep parks, schools, and nature-based assets greener for all the City’s residents to use during times of drought and mandatory water conservation restrictions.
Fiscal Responsibility – Determining the proper balance of recycled water improvements will help ensure that the benefits of implementing recycled water can be realized by both RPU and the customer in a financially responsible manner.
Innovation – Planning for the implementation of recycled water is part of the ‘One Water One Riverside’ concept of an integrated approach to community-based water management and provides another kind of water which can be utilized by some customers to meet their needs; the use of recycled water for some customers frees up potable water for others.
Sustainability & Resiliency – The implementation of a currently under-utilized resource helps benefit all RPU’s customers by freeing up precious and limited potable water resources while also providing additional resiliency to the landscaping of City of Riverside commercial, institutional, and industrial customers during periods of drought.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is $239,212. The total project cost is estimated at $300,000. Sufficient funds are budgeted and available in the Water Fund, Recycled Water Facilties account no. 6230000-470811.
Prepared by: Todd M. Corbin, Utilities General Manager
Certified as to
availability of funds: Edward Enriquez, Interim Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer
Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
Agreement
RFP Award Recommendation
Presentation
2022 Non-Potable and Recycled Water Master Plan ● Page 2